Being a mild fan of Takashi Miike, I was excited to find this noir-like Yakuza film. In many ways I got what I expected, which was the problem. Sho Aikawa, from the Miike's DOA trilogy, plays the cold blooded hit-man with, of course, very little to say. He lives in Tapai, a place which is run by gangs and, assuming from this movie, has rain coming down all the time. We meet the main protagonist as he discovers that he has a son, who refuses to even talk at all, and our loner assassin is forced to take care of the child. He later befriends a prostitute who wants to get out of this rainy hell, who, along with the child, becomes an agitator for change in the hit-man's tired lifestyle.
Interspersed through the film are a considerable amount of violent scenes but they are done in a classy manner, with very little Miike excess. This is very befitting of this movie's subdued style. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few notable scenes, this film goes in all the directions that one would expect from yet another movie about a quiet hit-man on the road of redemption. But if you can look past the absence of originality, you'll find a moody Takashi Miike film with very little compromise.
6/10
Interspersed through the film are a considerable amount of violent scenes but they are done in a classy manner, with very little Miike excess. This is very befitting of this movie's subdued style. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few notable scenes, this film goes in all the directions that one would expect from yet another movie about a quiet hit-man on the road of redemption. But if you can look past the absence of originality, you'll find a moody Takashi Miike film with very little compromise.
6/10